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Design Ambition? Use An Online Web Design Course..

If you have a good eye for visually pleasing material - say on a book cover, a magazine, or a brochure - then studying to work in graphic design might be appropriate. Lots of graphic designers have an artistic bent, and maybe studied art at school. But that's not to say you can't become one if drawing's not your strong point - in this day and age a lot of graphic design is done on the computer, not with pencil and paper.

Graphic designers can work for large design houses, smaller specialist companies, or as self-employed freelancers working from a studio at home.

Many trainee designers find they're more comfortable studying in a commercial college than at university - really you'll get more prepared for work in the design world at a commercial college than at university.

Then again, you could choose a taster course to build a small portfolio prior to applying for a university place.

How Do I Select the Right Trainer?

Selecting the best design college and their most appropriate course elements can appear a bit daunting, but there are simple steps to follow. Training standards differ between colleges, as do prices so be sure to research thoroughly.

You could start by digging into several of the companies featuring on this site (remember anything worth doing is worth doing properly). By Bookmarking this site you can give yourself easy access to it at any time - a shortcut is Ctrl D. It will start to become apparent what you're looking for as you surf the different sites and become more informed.

A good design training company will take pride in the style of its website, as that's the first indicator we see. The design aspects should give a real wow factor as a taste of the training to come. Also, what time frame do you see your studies taking? Are you looking for an intense boot-camp type course or a part-time flexible study programme? What kind of support is offered, and over what period of time? Should you expect to have to purchase any additional equipment to do the course? Which colleges give evidence of satisfied customers? Look for happy student comments.

Compelling Cases

Wherever you choose to take your training, you'll need to build a good portfolio of your work. The quality of your designs will be the most significant thing you can present to the first company to employ you. Any college worth considering will enable you to build a commercially relevant design portfolio as part of your coursework, so look on each website for a gallery of display work done by current trainees.

Is It Better To Have A Mac Or A PC?

Software skills are taught on graphic design courses, which means trainees must enter college with a good level of computer literacy. The principal software applications used are Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign, all elements of Adobe CS4 which are well recognised in industry. MACS are the preferred choice of most colleges, and many design students prefer them too. However, if you normally work on a PC you can get the relevant software.

As well as having good design skills, you'll also need to hone your sales and marketing skills in order to sell your ideas to clients.

Graphic design work includes any form of visual communication - even if it's the label on a humble can of baked beans! Graphic design puts together shapes, wording, colour and imagery in a stylised presentation that at its best communicates a statement for the product it represents.

Strikingly Different By Design

Designers have many tools in their arsenal - including colour, texture, composition, contrast, shape, repetition, white space, alignment and balance. Spectacular designs can be achieved when these key principles are adhered to - as many successful corporate campaigns can testify to. Great graphics contribute to attracting, informing and retaining a large client-base - and that's something every business in the land is desperate for!

The right college will take you from where you are now to where you want to go. Seek out training that over delivers on its promises, and make your new life better by design!